An Anchor in the Tempest
by Gyroscope
Summary: The Storm Hawks search for the impossible - the only surviving crystal that is in the clutches of the Cyclonians. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Dedicated to Mr War who requested a fanfic. Inspired by Mr War's suggestions and also ClockwerkOrange's partial nautical approach in his current story.  
The story is AU, however it retains the use of crystals, the names of the squadrons and the names of the characters themselves, despite their more mature depiction in this story. I don't know why, but I just felt obliged to explain the story with the latter sentence. _

_So, enjoy. _

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Encircling the wooden table were men of a particular scent to Radarr. The blue creature sniffed the surrounding air and withdrew once again at the sour pungency of body odour, speckled with the salt of the seas herself and the familiar whiff of rum. Arms bared, they gleamed with sweat, occasionally scarred with the cutlass of battle, lacerating around the tattooed biceps. Some were missing hands, where stumps or hooks were in place instead. A man slammed a glass down, threatening to blemish the fragile clarity with trickling cracks. Radarr did not care if it broke or not, as some of the liquid splashed on his nose and he licked it clean. Aerrow never let him near rum because "animals shouldn't drink it" but Radarr knew the Captain was envious of his drinking abilities. Guess who won the drinking competition amongst the crew last year?

Padding along, through the midst of a rogues' brawl and sneaking a quick glance up the waitresses' skirts, Radarr found his crew in the corner of the inn. Lit only with a lone candle dangling from a creaky metal holder, it was hard for a man to make out the faces. Radarr was no man, but a beast of heightened senses, easily recognising and quickly acknowledging Finn's raised mug as a greeting. Junko sat opposite the lean blond, also bearing quite the opposite physique. Dark and burly, he had two mugs in his large hands, and gulped down the rum faster than Radarr could ask for some. Hidden in the shadows was Stork, an enigma employed by the Captain to sail their ship. His pallid green complexion prowled underneath the shadow of his tricorne, and a limp black feather of the hat dangled in a bored manner. An ignorant fool would mistake Stork as the Captain just from the assumption of bearing a hat, but many feared to voice these opinions. Stork always had a murderous gleam in his yellow glare.

"The Captain?" Stork muttered.

Radarr pointed with a blue paw at the pair in the doorway. The mere, sharp presence of their silhouettes demanded the immediate hush of the inn, accented with the singular crash of a mug on the timber floor. They strolled through the frozen, silent crowd, ignoring the admiring stares and cruel glares. Finally, the pair found a spot on the table, and the roar and clanking of glasses rose again.

"Always making a statement, aren't cha Captain?" Finn smirked at Aerrow.

The auburn tufts that protruded from his head in an untamed manner rustled as the Captain nodded. His emerald eyes that were daggers, deadly enough to stab fear in the hearts of many, softened at Finn's jest. Piper, the navigator and First Mate, chuckled and her stern demeanour relaxed as she quickly swiped the mug from Finn's hands.

"Hey!" the blond shouted.

"And a hello to you too, Finn. Thanks for buying me a drink," Piper winked as she gulped the rum down.

"Enough of this flirting," Stork almost spat, "But I think we should discuss what we found. Captain?"

"Right. We all have heard of the Cyclonians, yes?" the Captain whispered as he leaned forward. The crew nodded in mutual agreement.

"The fiercest crew in all of Atmos," Junko replied, "They scare me."

"Well, they do have the most fearsome reputation too, beating us to that spot," Finn grumbled, "Why don't we have that reputation?"

Piper answered his question with a 'humph' and she continued from where the Captain stopped. "They've got the last crystal of Atmos. Technically, the whole Atmos knows that after the Crystal War, but no one is daring to retrieve it. However, the thing is, they aren't exactly in possession of said crystal."

Taking a gulp of more rum, she continued. "As the Captain and I uncovered, they possess the "key" to the location of the last crystal. There is enough evidence that this key is on the ship, however the exact location is unknown. Also, the exact shape of this key is unknown too."

"Psh, and how is that gonna help us?" Finn sighed, "So much for recon. Not even a freaking treasure map."

"Don't question the First Mate," the Captain hissed protectively, "We've enough to go on."

Radarr's paw silently etched its way towards Piper's mug, but Aerrow snatched it before he could taste the sweet alcoholic euphoria. Junko chuckled at his efforts, and snuck several drops into Radarr's mouth as the Captain drank from Piper's mug.

"We will need you, Junko, Radarr and Stork on standby," the Captain ordered, pointedly glancing at Finn, "Piper and I will board the Cyclonian ship as one does."

"I don't mean to question your methods, Captain," Stork's voice wavered, "But wouldn't you and the First Mate prefer to face the deadly force in a more_ clandestine _way? Going there head on will lead to one's immediate, untimely demise." Stork leaned forward, and his fingers steepled. "Then again, sneaking on will result in the same, but with a satisfying, lingering sense of doom as you slowly ease your way into hell."

"Thanks for your concern, but we were invited on board," Piper replied matter- of- factly. "We do have some sort of reputation, but not as fearsome as those of the Cyclonians. However, the reason as to why we received an invitation is unknown."

Stork chuckled darkly, "Oh, we have too many unknowns here."

"Which makes it all the more fun," the Captain replied, frowning despite his cheery tone. "Let's go."

* * *

Her pale façade lurked underneath the looming shadow of her dark violet tricorne, and her high collared cloak gave little away as to her full appearance. She sat upon a high crimson seat in the cabin of her ship, her spindly fingers stroking a valuable piece of her inventory.

"Captain Cyclonis," a deep voice said behind her. She hurriedly slid the item into a hidden box where it locked when its lid shut, put it beneath her desk, and turned to address her First Mate.

"Ah, the Dark Ace. The report?"

He handed over a file with a gloved hand that hid the scars of many battles. Cyclonis opened the folder and sheets spilled out, splaying like yellowing petals upon her ebony desk. Picking up a particular piece that looked as if it were folded too many times, and where age lingered at every crease, she furrowed her brow as she read, nodding at every detail.

"Why him?" the Dark Ace spoke again, faintly surprised at its curt delivery.

She snapped her head up and glared at him, fury dancing in her purple eyes. "Why you? Why did I choose you as First Mate?"

"Because I was capable," he replied immediately.

"And so is he," she retorted, pointing at the files, "He is _too_ capable." She sighed as if it were an apology to the Dark Ace and her eyes softened. "We need to know our enemy as much as we know ourselves. It is the only way we can protect the crystal."

She turned her back to the Dark Ace and took out her spyglass. Peering through, she saw two figures walking in the direction of her ship. Cyclonis retracted it with a click and nodded to her First Mate, who left her alone in the cabin. Minutes later, he returned with Aerrow and Piper in front of him. His face had contorted to something of disgust and hatred, and Cyclonis had to swallow a laugh at his unhappiness.

"Captain Cyclonis," Aerrow greeted drily. His First Mate nodded and greeted the same way. Aerrow disliked how her face was concealed with her hat and high collar, so only her piercing eyes shone through. It was to him the same as withholding information; if they cannot trust you with their face, how could you trust them with their words?

It seemed as if she heard his mental desire, and with a flourish, Cyclonis threw off her cloak and gently removed her hat. Only the Dark Ace had seen her in her full glory, where Cyclonis' violet naval jacket outlined every luscious curve of her body, and her heeled boots accented her thin legs. Her leather pants clung tightly to her waist and hips, and the audience could not help but stare.

She swayed closer to Aerrow, whose brow furrowed at her proximity. "Well, Captain Aerrow, what is it you like me to do?" she asked huskily.

Piper squeezed Aerrow's arm as she quickly excused herself, to which Cyclonis nodded to. There was only one person she wanted to charm, and the Dark Ace was almost immune to Cyclonis' attraction.

"It's hard," Aerrow finally answered, "The request, I mean." The Dark Ace laughed quietly behind him.

"Come. Spill out your request. I am not here for you to waste my time," Cyclonis snapped as she withdrew from Aerrow's gaze, "I have more important things to do. Dark Ace."

Her First Mate drew out his scimitar and tickled Aerrow's neck with its long, sharp and curved blade. The metal gleamed and refleced the Dark Ace's smirk. The red head etched his fingers down to his dirks, but the cold metal seemed to sink deeper into his flesh, allowing the smallest trickle of crimson.

"Now, don't cut his throat before he speaks his true intentions," she said darkly, "But if you don't speak quick enough Aerrow, off goes your head."

"Yes, Captain Cyclonis," he hesitantly addressed her, "I come in the request of the last crystal of Atmos. I understand you do not physically have the crystal here, but the key or a map to its specific location is what I need."

"There is a reason that Atmos has one crystal left," Cyclonis rasped with fury, "And it is because of you pesky fools, destroying every last one in that War. None of you Storm Hawks or the Resistance are even worthy of being in the presence of a crystal. And I should know. I was the queen of the merchants, and my crystal business has now been reduced to pillaging your pitiful villages and ships."

The Resistance was spearheaded by the Storm Hawks themselves, where many other crews were invested in their goals of using crystal power for good and not otherwise. The reign of Cyclonian crystal technology and resources grew year by year, taking over the market and reducing many prosperous merchants into sea beggars and thieves. Numbers of the Resistance rapidly diminished as members succumbed to the sheer raw essence and suffocating power of crystals. Master Cyclonis, as named in her full glory, was the Merchant Queen before the Resistance won the War.

Aerrow wanted to apologise on behalf of the whole Atmos for this mess, but her selfishness in hiding the crystal and her criminal intentions were unforgivable. Despite being renowned for crystal merchandising, Cyclonians were known for their desire to subjugate and control the Atmos with the addictive control of crystals. Now there was only one, and whole of Atmos depended on it.

"Without this crystal, Atmos will be destroyed. The sea monsters are awakening," Aerrow stated firmly, cringing at the sting of his neck wound.

"Sea monsters? They are a-"

A fire alarm exploded with piercing shriek, drowning out Cyclonis' sentence. She glanced over behind her desk, eyes wide with panic. Aerrow took the opportunity to spin around and kick the distracted Dark Ace, grabbing his weapon from his loose grip and quickly pressing the blade against Cyclonis' neck. He pulled her arms behind her and clicked them in a pair of handcuffs, whilst holding the scimitar that threatened to slice her throat.

Piper sauntered casually back into the room, holding a lighter in one hand and a burnt scrap of papyrus in the other. The Dark Ace recovered from his fall, launching to attack the Storm Hawk's First Mate, but she stuck out her lit lighter, forcing him to recoil. She punched him the jaw and kicked him in the groin in that split second. He fell back into the corner, howling in pain.

"So where is it, Captain Aerrow?" Piper gleefully asked.

"Behind and beneath the desk," he answered as Cyclonis gasped. She struggled in his grip, but the blade dug a bit deeper into her skin. "Now, don't move Cyclonis," Aerrow whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her ear, "Don't encourage me to hurt you."

"It seems you like this, Aerrow. Do you always have handcuffs at the ready?" Cyclonis whispered back a little too hungrily.

He ignored her as Piper placed an ebony box upon the desk. "It's locked," she simply said. "Needs some code to open it."

"How did you know it was there?" Cyclonis gasped as the blade dug deeper.

"Amazing how fire exposes our priorities," Piper smirked as she worked on the lock. "No, can't figure out the code."

"Let me go, and I will enter it for you. I promise no ill intent," Cyclonis solemnly assured.

Hesitantly, Aerrow undid the handcuffs and removed the blade from her neck, allowing the Cyclonian captain to walk over to the box. Gently pushing Piper aside, she bent down and spun the dials in place to spell out the code. Cyclonis turned it around to face Aerrow and dug her fingernails underneath the edge, easing it to open.

"Wait," Aerrow ordered her.

He gestured to Piper to come closer, whispered some words in her ear, and she disappeared out of the room. The second she left, men burst through the windows, where glass fragments exploded like crystal fireworks around Cyclonis and Aerrow. The Dark Ace tried to recover from Piper's previous attacks, but a man accidentally landed on top of him.

"Give up the booty, Cyclonis!" a blond man ordered in his accented voice. "I promise no harm."

"Who are you?" Aerrow and Cyclonis shouted in unison, prompting both the captains to glance at each other in confusion.

"I am Harrier of the Rex Guardians, the new leader of the Resistance. The Storm Hawks are useless in achieving their prime objective of protecting the Atmos, so I was elected for the position," he proudly announced as he unsheathed his sabre. It gleamed with a golden blink, newly forged and lacking any damage from battle.

Aerrow gritted his teeth and growled in annoyance, and Cyclonis noted his anger. "You have no right to take that title from the Storm Hawks!" he spat as he brandished Dark Ace's scimitar.

"Oh and who are you to judge?" Harrier condescendingly snorted as he spun the sabre in his hand.

"I am Aerrow, Captain of the Storm Hawks, leader of the Resistance!" he shouted back. "Cyclonis, now!"

She quickly turned the box, her finger immediately lifting the lid, and fired a poison- laced blade into Harrier's chest. Cyclonis grabbed the handcuffs and swung them into another man's face, cracking his skull like an egg, and he fell back roaring in pain. Meanwhile Aerrow swung his weapon at the neck of a burly man who clutched his wound with both hands. The Storm Hawk easily stabbed him in the heart. He then spun and kicked a lanky lad, who awkwardly fumbled with his dagger, and he fell out of the cabin, landing with a satisfying splash in the sea below. Aerrow turned around again, and watched in horror as Cyclonis pointed a blunderbuss at his head. She fired and he cringed, but the bullet tickled the tops of his red locks and flew into the throat of the tall man behind him. He let out a gurgled yell before the blood flooded his entire mouth.

"We make quite the team," Aerrow puffed as he walked closer to Cyclonis, who smiled as he approached. He placed down the scimitar and went to grab the box. She shut the lid again, allowing it to automatically lock, and pushed it towards Aerrow.

"Yes we do."

She leaned forward and hit Aerrow's head with the side of her blunderbuss before his gloved hands touched the ebony structure. His body shrunk in pain and collapsed on top of one of the dead intruders.

"Yes, we most certainly do."

* * *

Piper had radioed her crew to sail where the Cyclonian ship was, urging to come quickly and armed. In the distance she spied the familiar cerulean- tinged sails gliding closer to shore where the enemy was anchored.

They came too late.

A man in a crimson uniform held a body that dangled limply in his arms, and threw it overboard into the shallow water without a second glance. With the efficiency of a well- oiled machine, the Cyclonian crew worked the rigging and the sails were immediately taut with the wind. The last shimmer of the ship faded into the horizon before Piper could recognise Aerrow's bloody body wash up onto the shore. Finally, the Storm Hawks drew close enough for anchorage and Junko carried the Captain to his quarters, where Piper tended his wounds and Radarr gave him company.

Outside, after Aerrow's retrieval, the Merb stood on the deck, steering the ship with one hand and tilting his tricorne lower with the other.

"I did warn him," Stork whispered to himself as he sailed the Condor towards the setting sun.

* * *

_A/N: Well, it's quite difficult to keep the Storm Hawks in character (for me at least). I had to rewatch the cartoon to grasp who they were again. Characterisation is difficult to maintain in an AU considering the characters themselves are faced with different and unfamiliar events than what is shown in the cartoon. Also, I'm a bit rusty in terms of writing, so I'm sorry if I'm telling more than I'm showing. It's hard :)_

_Also, I know I shouldn't start a new fanfic, considering I have plenty to finish off, but this one is nearly complete. Progress is at 90% or somewhere around that, so this one WILL be a completed multi- chapter story. Hopefully. _

_I just want to say thank you to _**Mr War**_ for his idea and I want to acknowledge all the pirate/ nautical stories I've read and watched throughout my life. _

_Heh, that was like a speech._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N:_ _I guess it is sort of time for me to publish the second chapter, so here it is! This one went through heaps and heaps of edits. _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Atop the thin, frayed duvets that draped loosely over the Captain, Radarr was curled in a quiet, furry bundle, snoring and dreaming about banana flavoured rum. His body rose and fell rhythmically with Aerrow's breathing as they peacefully slept in the Captain's quarters. The lone ticking of a stolen fob watch and the hush of the sea's waves were the pair's sweet lullaby. Piper sat in a wooden chair opposite the bed, which made slight creaking noises if she were to adjust her position. She held the logbook in her gloved hand and a quill in the other. If he moved a leg, she would record it. If his breathing was irregular for the briefest of seconds, she would jot it down. Aerrow had lain in his bed for a week now, and the log was bursting with foot twitches, eyelid flickers and other mere signs of movement. Despite this, he had not awakened from his slumber.

Day after day, fears arose throughout the crew. Stork believed the Captain to be dead, and even with Piper's presented evidence of life, the helmsman thought Aerrow to be a zombie. It was a fine jest, a one the Merb did not intend to have a humorous effect, but the crew's laughter was still obviously undermined by the shadow of concern. Finn thought the Captain was faking it, and that if he woke, it would activate an alarm for Cyclonis to come back and attack, and so sleep was for the protection of the crew. Piper out ruled this as impossible, where crystal power was necessary for those abilities, and the Cyclonian captain was definitely not in possession. Junko was clueless to Aerrow's condition and Radarr took the opportunity to consume as much rum as possible, but growled angrily if anyone took his thirst for apathy.

It was on the thirtieth day and Piper's fourth log book when a bird arrived, bearing news. As the Storm Hawks huddled in the Captain quarters away from Aerrow's bed, Piper unrolled the parchment and three big words tumbled out in block letters. She gasped, Finn and Junko grinned, Stork grumbled something unintelligible and Radarr gave a cheerful chirrup.

"Cyclonis is dead," Piper articulated loudly in a stern voice.

"Isn't that great?" Finn commented happily and Junko nodded.

"Well, yes and no," Piper replied. "Yes, where she is no longer a threat to the whole of Atmos as to being the most ruthless, fearsome pirate captain. Since we have a reputation of similar ferocity, I guess you got your wish Finn. We now have it. Fiercest crew on Atmos."

"But," the First Mate continued, "This means we would never hold the final crystal and the Resistance are incapable of protecting the Atmos from the inevitable sea monsters without it."

"Those sea monsters are just a myth," Junko said, crossing his thick arms.

"You can deny all the reports then," Stork dismissively waved his hand. "All those deaths were nothing."

"There were deaths?"

"Yes, the Leviathan is apparently hungry."

"Guys, stop," Finn butted in, "Why do we even need the crystal? We can just fight them off with our cannons. A good aim should do it."

Piper sighed. "It's a matter of biological conservation and population protection. We need to protect the rare species even though they can kill us, and even if we fight them, lives will still be in danger. The War destroyed the crystal that kept the creatures in hibernation, and so now these marine monsters are fighting to wake up."

"We're doomed, in other words," Stork summarised in a breath and he walked off to steer the ship.

The following day, the Storm Hawks anchored on the harbour of Neverlandis to restock on supplies. Before they could even step off the _Condor_, a messenger boy ran towards Piper with an ebony box in hand. She quickly dismissed Junko and Finn to replenish their inventory whilst she hurried back into the Captain's quarters.

She sat at the bed's foot, caressing Cyclonis' secret treasure chest. It was the darkest of ebony, shades deeper than the _Condor_'s hull. The corners were pointedly accented with golden clasps, dotted with tiny amethysts that bound them to the wood. It fit comfortably on Piper's lap and its weight was no more than three books. She lifted it up to peek at the bottom finding the same smooth wooden façade that covered the entire box. Setting it back down, Piper fiddled with the six golden dials where, on individual ridges, letters were engraved with a deep purple tinge.

"How do you open?" Piper whispered to the chest.

"Only she can open it. She's the one who knows the code," Aerrow replied, "I didn't manage to see what she entered from our last visit. She's dead, isn't she? Good use that box is."

"Aerrow! You're awake!" the First Mate cried, "That's great news."

"Lightened up you day, huh?" he smiled simply. "But that box's a downer."

Aerrow sat up on his pillow, and propped himself up weakly with his arms. He blinked several times to adjust to the light and yawn mildly, despite his monthly sleep.

"How did you know she was dead? You weren't listening when we received the news right?" Piper asked.

"She must be dead. Cyclonis gave us the most valuable thing in her possession for safekeeping. I'm sure even the Dark Ace didn't know of this box, because if he did, she would have given it to him. We were the next in line because we knew of its existence," Aerrow stated and coughed slightly. "And I'm sure it's also a nice way of Cyclonis to mock us from beyond the grave."

"Make sense," Piper agreed. "Would you like something to eat, Captain? You've been sleeping forever."

Aerrow gave a small chuckle and ruffled his hair. "Yeah. And don't forget the rum."

* * *

As the moonless night fell, the hooded man walked onto the harbour, where the light sea breeze weaved stealthily between his fringe. He glanced out towards the water, barely making out the small waves that brushed daintily against the anchored ships. A drunken pirate with a lopsided tricorne staggered towards him, muttering a faintly familiar sea shanty, smelling of rotting fish and swinging his wineskin. He sidestepped the drunk and quietly pulled out a rope, lassoing it onto an ebony ship. Silently he climbed and nimbly landed on deck.

With the layout still fresh in his mind, he found the room and picked the lock. He allowed the thinnest gap for him to slip through and closed the door behind him. Grabbing a jacket that hung on a nearby peg, he threw it at the sleeping body. As expected, she sprung up, but he was quicker. He pushed her down upon the bed, sealing her mouth with his hand. Beneath, her mouth opened for a scream, but he clamped tighter with his gloved fingers. She bit at it, her teeth useless against the leather.

"If you keep quiet and be a good girl Piper, you will give me no reason to payback for those injuries last month," the Dark Ace threatened as he removed his hood.

She hesitantly nodded and he removed his hand. Piper could only glare at those crimson eyes as they watched her put on the jacket and boots. She grabbed her orange bandana and adjusted it into her dark navy hair.

"Where are you taking me?" Piper hissed as she snuck a blunderbuss into her coat when the Dark Ace turned towards the door.

"Don't think about firing that gun," he whispered.

The First Mate sighed, but kept the gun on hand.

"Follow me."

Climbing down the rope and plunging into the dark night, the Dark Ace led Piper through the labyrinthine alleyways that threaded between Neverlandis' buildings. There were unpaved lanes, and she could feel the uneven tufts of grass bumping along the otherwise dirt path. The stars were futile in casting any form of light, so her eyes adjusted to the shadows. Piper felt surprisingly comfortable as she snuck around with the Dark Ace, following him to an unknown location.

"Here."

She walked into the desolate yard, surrounded by the carcass of a rotting building. The scaffolding was twisted and creaked eerily to the soft whispers of the wind. The yard itself was pebbly and Piper could feel the scattered stones beneath her boots. It was too dark to see how vast the building used to be, but the sheer enormity of the steel planes that once formed the walls gave her an idea.

A flick and a hiss lit the lantern that the Dark Ace produced from the shadows. He handed it over to the person that Piper just realised was present, standing without her usual hat, but still shrouded by her purple velvet jacket.

"Piper," Cyclonis spoke, "I didn't rustle your slumber too much I hope?"

"Cyclon-"

"It's Captain Cyclonis," the Dark Ace cut in.

The Storm Hawk glared at the Cyclonian First Mate, but continued. "Captain Cyclonis, I thought you were dead."

Cyclonis laughed and Piper furrowed her brow, confused at where the jest was. The Dark Ace just stood beside his Captain, not even cracking the slightest of smiles.

"Oh Piper, did you really think I'll grant you such a treat?" Cyclonis said, "But don't go telling everyone that I am still alive. It's only between us three."

"Why? Why do you proclaim you are alive to me? And you should have stayed dead." Piper spat.

"Harsh words," Cyclonis tutted, "But you deserve respect. I know you are the brains to the Storm Hawks, and you proved your worth when you outsmarted me last month. Tell me though, what is your worth to Aerrow?"

"My worth? We are friends. And I'm his First Mate," she said simply, "No more."

"The Dark Ace is my _First Mate_ too." Cyclonis smirked as the Dark Ace shuffled awkwardly. "But I have explored more of his _finer _qualities."

"But you came back," Piper said, quickly changing the subject, noting her own and the Dark Ace's discomfort. "Explain."

"After my _sweet_ invitation for you to join me on my ship, the days following, I was pursued by members of the Resistance. Bothersome idiots. They were persistent for the key, I'll give them that, but my resources were exhausted after running and fighting. The death of me meant the death of the key," Cyclonis replied matter- of factly.

"Alright," Piper muttered, trying not to take offence, "But Aerrow needs you-"

"Of course he needs me. He expressed his desires when we spoke last time," Cyclonis drawled as she swayed her hips slightly. "He was very keen."

"But the box-"

"What box?" Cyclonis shot back. From the flickering flames of the lantern, the Dark Ace scowled in confusion.

"_So the Captain was right,"_ Piper thought, _"The Dark Ace doesn't know about it."_

"You should have asked for Aerrow's presence instead of mine. He was talking about you fervidly, after he recovered from his coma. Would not speak of anything else as he ate," Piper tried changing the subject again.

"I just- I can't. I couldn't," Cyclonis stuttered, trying to hide her shock and concern about Aerrow's previous condition. _"I didn't hit him that hard."_ Cyclonis thought to herself.

The ominous creak of the scaffolding was expected from the rotting structure. However, it was as if a cannon was fired; the abrupt sound of a pebble hitting a steel plane and the hush of a curse forced the trio to swivel towards the disturbance. It was difficult to make out with the trembling light, but the swift flurry of its hair and the familiar silhouette drew similarities to those of a particular person.

"Aerrow," Cyclonis and Piper whispered in unison, but only the latter made the move to follow him, rushing behind the faint shimmer of his shadow. She followed him back to the harbour where they both stared at each other in the dark.

"She's alive," Piper whispered, with a hoarse laugh, "Cyclonis is alive."

"I know," Aerrow simply replied. It was obvious he wanted to say more, as Piper looked into his glowing emerald eyes that swirled with anger, concern, relief and- was that joy?

Together, they slowed to a walk down the harbour in silence, with the moments and memory of the previous seconds still lingering in the quiet. Unasked questions hung like rain clouds as the pair boarded the ship, but immediately evaporated at the relieving comfort of being on the _Condor_. The homely creak of the ship as it rocked gently from the waves and the calming whispers of the sea set a certain ease in Piper's and Aerrow's hearts.

"Gotcha."

Aerrow felt the firm metal of a blunderbuss pushing in his back. The click that cracked the silent night reassured that the wielder had their finger on the trigger. The Captain raised his arms to show he was unarmed, but the stubborn barrel stayed. He looked over to Piper who stood in a similar fashion, and noticed the burly man behind her.

"Move," the voice behind Aerrow ordered, and his pushed his weapon deeper into the Captain's back.

The footsteps of four thumped down the deck and towards the Captain's quarters, where the doors were already open. Inside sat Stork bound and gagged with rope, but if the Merb was scared, his placid and bored eyes betrayed nothing. An Atmosian male and a Blizzarian female stood guard beside their victim, armed heavily with blunderbusses and cutlasses. Their faces were firm and emotionless, but the female cracked a smile as Aerrow and Piper were pushed into the room.

"Aw, you boys are real charmers, eh? I should be promoting you two," she cheerfully spoke to her two thugs. "We caught ourselves some Captain and First Mate."

"Suzy Lu, what is this all about?" Piper asked, still uneasy with the barrel in her back.

"Sorry girl, but they are just precautions. Boys, lower them guns. We better be friendly, or Captain here will kick us off," the Blizzarian replied as she stood akimbo.

"If you want to be friendly, tell them to leave this room," Aerrow ordered as he shrugged off the fading pressure from his back. "Piper, you too." He nodded at her and mouthed something that Suzy Lu mistook as a yawn.

"Fine, fine," she said casually, "Boys, out."

Aerrow and Suzy Lu were left in the closed room, with Stork still tied up in the chair. The Captain turned, walked over to a peg and began to remove his jacket, but a familiar click froze him midway.

"Now then, Captain. Turn around and show me you are unarmed, eh?" Suzy Lu ordered with her gun aimed at Aerrow.

He could do nothing but acquiesce as he walked over with his arms up. Stork just watched blandly from his restricted position.

"Now tell me Captain. Where is the key?"

"I don't have it," Aerrow replied as sternly as he could, "Who do you think you are, Suzy Lu? Holding a gun at your leader?"

She spat to the side, disgusted at his words, whilst still holding the gun. "Leader? I'm leader of the Resistance now, after Harrier was found dead and washed up on a shore. You Storm Hawks left your duty ages ago. You once defended the seas from pirates, then you created the Resistance against crystals and now after the war you scheme with the Merchant Queen herself? Who do you think you are, Captain?"

Aerrow gave her a sneering look. "And who told you of this exchange between Cyclonis and I?"

"A man's dying breath. One of whom that followed Harrier into that Cyclonian ship a month ago," she retorted.

Aerrow turned to face Stork who sat in a bundle of boredom. The Captain blinked and the Merb replied with corresponding blinks before he sneezed. It was as loud as a gunshot, forcing Suzy Lu to quickly turn and aim at the tied- up victim. As quickly as she removed her gaze, Aerrow ran up and hit her across the face with the handcuffs he found in his jacket. She stumbled back in pain, dropping the gun to clutch her burning cheek. Stork got up despite being tied to the chair, wobbled over and smacked Suzy Lu with the full weight behind him. The wood splintered at the impact, freeing Stork, but binding the screaming Blizzarian in a heap of shattered chair. The Merb wiggled away the rope, dusted his shoulder and sighed as he walked towards his Captain.

"Do you always carry that around, Captain?" the helmsman said, pointedly looking at the handcuffs in Aerrow's hand. "I should carry some when I guard the ship."

"It has its uses," Aerrow shrugged. "Help me pull her out of that mess and I'll show you another trick with them."

* * *

The thugs that Suzy Lu employed surrounded Piper, their guns and blades at the ready. It was too dark on the deck to attack, with the risk of hurting each other instead of the First Mate. They had no choice but to stand guard and threaten her with the weapons. Piper raised her arm, seemingly wiping her mouth with her wrist. She kept her orange glare on the men, scowling and taunting them with her silence.

The air shimmered behind one of the men and he collapsed in a writhing heap. Another projectile struck him in the left ribs as the others walked over to inspect. He tried to yell in pain, but the sound remained trapped in his corpse.

"What was-" one choked, scratching at the bolt lodged in his throat. He gurgled as the blood flooded his mouth.

The last man stood with legs wide apart, warily holding his sword in his hand as he peered desperately in the night. He swung emptily at the air, but the dark blindfolded him from the attacker. As he was distracted, Piper drew out her hidden blunderbuss and fired in his stomach, the three cracks puncturing the silent night. Another shimmer flew by and stuck itself in the thug's chest. He fell back into a pool of crimson.

Finn swung down from the fighting top with his crossbow in hand and a rope in the other, almost knocking Piper from where she stood. She sidestepped smirking, and he crashed onto the quarterdeck. The sharpshooter immediately popped back up, brushed his shoulders and walked towards the dead men.

"You should work on your landing," Piper said, smiling as Finn groaned.

"Well, you should work on your aim," Finn retorted cringing from his fall. "To kill a man, you fire at the heart not the stomach."

"I'm just letting you do your job," she shrugged in reply. She watched Finn pull out the bolts, wiping any residue on the thug's clothes. "By the way, you shot that guy in the throat."

Finn waved her words off with his hand full of bolts. "I was just giving you a chance to practise your aim. You decided to fire at this guy instead." He kicked the man with three bullet holes in his stomach.

_Crash!_

The sound from the Captain's quarters drew the worrying glances of Finn and Piper towards the closed door. The pair rushed over, only to be stopped as the door creaked open, spilling a thick ray of light onto the deck. They drew their weapons, but as Stork's head peeked out, they relaxed.

"Captain's orders for you guys to guard the ship. We'll be fine in here," the Merb reassured calmly, "Unless she breaks loose, of course."

"She? Who is this we are talking about?" Finn raised his eyebrows.

"Suzy Lu. We've got a rogue on board," the helmsman rubbed his hands in glee. "Oh, we are back in business."


End file.
